Maya Menchu Research Paper

“Susana” is a 24 year old woman from Guatemala. She is married and is a mother of two children. She is

The Indian race was not supposed to own land in America but in regard they were concentrated in slums adjacent to the cities. Here they were exposed to poor housing, lack of clean water and poor man related work that ranged from fishing and hunting thus they were regarded as second class American citizens. In response to these social status inequalities, the Indians staged demonstrations against the vices and afterwards grated accessibility to land and its resources. The land given to them was of low quality the low quality that they were classified as marginal land s that could not support farming. This shows that the American government was in support of the discrimination against these Indians. In support of the racial discrimination strategy, the state even ensured that no white citizen became poor or bankruptcy by buying their land parcels. These lands were then subdivided to the Indians who were later to be killed by the Americans in their efforts to get the land for their mining activities. The sequence of events showed how discrimination was the main agenda of the

The Dawes Act of 1887 began the process of allotment. By trying to force Native Americans to become farmers, the federal government cast many groups into poverty. The land which the United States held in trust for Indians was usually not choice farmland. Those trying to make a living off the inhospitable lands of the West found little success. During the interwar period of the early twentieth century, the government made new efforts to alleviate Indians’ position as a marginalized group. Over 10,000 Native Americans volunteered and served with distinction in the armed forces during World War I. In recognition of their efforts, Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, making all American Indians United States citizens.

Specifically, Stoll's research leads him to confirm the following information in Menchú's testimony. In her testimony Rigoberta states that her father was burned alive when the army attacked the Spanish Embassy he was occupying to protest human rights abuses, an occurrence that is widely known in Guatemala. Stoll believes Menchú's account of the events at the embassy is more balanced than most others. Rigoberta also stated that her mother was detained, raped, tortured, killed, and her body was mutilated by the Guatemalan army. Rigoberta Menchú's horrific description of what happened to her

Dawson, Alexander S. “From Models for the Nation to Model Citizens: Indigenismo and the ‘Revindication’ of the Mexican Indian, 1920–40.” Journal of Latin American Studies 1998 : 279-308. Print.

what he had done and helped her organize the farm workers. Cesar and Dolores both founded

The Guatemalan Revolution was on October 1944 and it forced the resignation of Jorge Ubico. He was the President of Guatemala in the previous thirteen years. Ubico's government was a fear period in the country and it was called the “peace on the cemeteries”

financial donations to many organizations, and she also became a patron of the arts. Her

Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta born April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who was co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association, and later the United Farm workers. Huerta has received many awards and accolades and has remained a role model and voice to many in the Latino community. Huerta had been born to Juan Fernandez and Alicia Chavez; they divorced when Huerta was just three years old. Both Huerta’s parents were active in the rights of people and the community itself. Huerta’s father was a field worker, miner, as well as a union activist. Huerta’s mother was a business woman who owned a restaurant and a 70-room hotel where she helped low wage workers. A lot of Huerta’s humanitarianism came from her mother, who was known for her kindness and compassion for others. Huerta personality followed close to her mother’s as she too was caring and compassionate yet strong minded.

Once upon a time there was a courageous women, named Maria Julia Hernandez, who I call my hero. Hernandez was born in San Francisco Morazán, Honduras in 1939. Throughout her life she spoke up for the rights of victims during El Salvador’s civil war. She tended to the victim’s families and held an investigation by gathering evidence of the murders seeking to expose the murderers. Hernandez’s courage and faith inspired others to fight for their freedom. Her faith has inspired me to stand up for what I believe in, no matter what hardships I have to face. Hernandez is considered a true hero through her traits of courage, generosity, and wisdom.

has been one of the most influential organization for women empowerment. NOW has played a

Rigoberta Menchu, a Quiche Indian woman native to Guatemala, is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for politically reaching out to her country and her people. In her personal testimony tittled “I, Rigoberta Menchu” we can see how she blossomed into the Nobel Prize winner she is today. Following a great deal in her father’s footsteps, Rigoberta’s mobilization work, both within and outside of Guatemala, led to negotiations between the guerillas and the government and reduced the army power within Guatemala. Her work has helped bring light to the strength of individuals and citizen organization in advocacy and policy dialogue on the world scale. In a brief summary of the book I will explore why Rigoberta Menchu is important to

Rigoberta Menchú, is a Guatemalan woman and she was born under the mantle of the Mayan people. She is one of the most recognized characters in defending the rights of indigenous people in the world and in Guatemala. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 thanks to her tireless struggle for their rights.

The Chachi are an indigenous group living in Ecuador’s Mache-Chindul reserve. Maria Fadiman did a study on Cultivated Food Plants: Culture and Gendered Spaces of The Colonists and the Chachi in Ecuador, Fadiman basically compared the colonists of Ecuador and the indigenous Chachi based on the how, what, and who cultivated foods in both societies. The Chachi appear to be an agricultural society, they tend to domesticate their animals and have farms close or distant from home. Fadiman found that in colonist societies the woman focused on staying and working near the home, while the men went on to work farther away. Although in the Chachi it is the complete opposite, were the men stay near the home and the women go the furthest away (Fadiman

I do not think the veracity of Menchu’s story matters more than the impact. If the story shows the violations of human rights and works to fix human rights than it is helping the world. Also, it is no different than today when we turn on the news. They will stretch stories just to get people going and they leave an impact on the world. Everything that has an impact on people usually lies or stretches the truth. People just need to know what to believe and not to believe. I think if it makes a positive change in the world then it does not matter.